Uniworld's Festive Holiday Menu

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The best gifts don't always fit under the tree. . .  There are few gifts more unique and inspiring than the chance to explore a different part of the world. Travel through magnificent cities and historic villages bedecked with twinkling trees and shining with handcrafted treasures. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise collection serves an unforgetable selection of locally-sourced meals on their Christmas Markets itineraries.

The following recipes are courtesy of Uniworld’s Executive Chef and Culinary Director, Chef Bernhard Zorn.

​Smoked Salmon Tartar
enhanced with roasted jalapeno cream
Serves 8
 
Ingredients:
2 pieces anchovies
3 pieces roasted garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons if heavy cream
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 1/2 cup smoked salmon diced into small pieces
1/4 cup fresh mango diced into small pieces
1/4 cup red onions diced
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon chopped roasted jalapenos
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
16 pieces crisp tortilla chips
16 pieces small sprigs of cilantro
 
Preparation:
1. In a medium sized wooden bowl, add anchovies, garlic, cumin, and olive oil. Using a large fork, pulverize into a paste.
2. Stir in sour cream, heavy cream and lime juice.
3. Mix until everything is incorporated.
4. Add in salmon, mango, red onions, capers, jalapeno, and cilantro. Mix to combine.
5. The mixture should be thick but not dry.
6. Spoon a small dollop of smoked salmon onto each tortilla chip and garnish with small sprigs of cilantro.

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 ​Cream Soup of Roasted Shiitake Mushroom
with a touch of peanut sabayon
Serves 8 – 10
 
Ingredients:
3 1/4 ounces butter
1 1/2 pounds shiitake mushroom
3/4 cup julienned shiitake mushrooms
5 shallots sliced thin
10 cups chicken
Bouquet of thyme
 
For the Sabayon:
1 stick of butter
1/2 pound of raw and unsalted peanuts
4 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
Salt and fresh ground white pepper
1 cup clarified butter
2 cups shiitake mushroom caps, sliced paper thin
1/4 cup chilli oil
 
To Prepare the Cream:
1. In a large sauté pan, cook the butter to a light golden brown. Add the mushrooms and “roast” them to a deep golden brown. Stir in shallots and continue to cook until they are a light golden brown as well.
2. Pour in chicken stock and add bouquet of thyme. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove bouquet and discard. Purée the soup so it is very smooth and season to taste.
3. Lightly brown remaining butter in a large sauté pan. Add peanuts and sauté while continuously tossing to a deep golden brown. Pour in cream and continue to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Puree and strain the peanut cream and then return to heat. Beat in the egg yolks and strain again. Cool the cream and reserve for when you serve the soup.
To Assemble the Dish:
1. Gently heat the peanut cream, whisking the whole time to prevent coagulation.
2. Fry 3/4 cup Shiitake mushrooms julienned in clarified butter until crispy. Remove to absorbent towel and season.
3. Place soup into heated bowls, top with peanut sabayon, and drizzle a bit of chilli oil. Garnish with crisp shiitake mushrooms.
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 Seared Ahi Tuna Wrapped in Pancetta
served with grilled polenta and confit of cherry tomatoes surrounded with basil beurre blanc
Ingredients:
 
4 medallions Ahi tuna (1/4 pounds)
1 ounce pancetta
18 cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
 
For the Polenta:
7/8 cup maize flour
5 1/2 cup Fontina cheese (semi-soft Italian cheese)
6 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese
 
For the Basil Beurre Blanc:
2 chopped shallots
3.5 ounce white wine
6.8 ounce cream
2 sticks of butter
 
Directions:
1. For the polenta, bring 8 1/2 cups of water to the boil into a big saucepan. Cut the cheese in small pieces. When the water is boiling, sprinkle the flour and then mix with a spatula outside the heat. Add the cheese, season and then cook slowly for about 45 minutes—mixing regularly. Pour the mixture on a flat tray, and then roll up between 2 sheets of cling film (about .39 inches thick). Spread Parmesan on top and then place in a cold room for 1 night. Once cold and set, cut some regular diamond shapes, keep refrigerated.
2. Wrap the medallions of tuna in the pancetta. Sear the medallions quickly on a high temperature for about 1 minute on each side. After, let it rest on at 136° F to keep it warm. Best to season lightly with salt just before serving.
3. Drizzle the cherry tomatoes lightly with olive oil and keep in the oven on 140° F for about 2 hours.
4. To make a classic Beurre Blanc, simply blend all the ingredients above together.
5. Heat up a large frying pan then grill the polenta diamonds with olive oil on both sides.
6. Poor a bit of Beurre Blanc on hot plates then place the tuna in the middle. Peel the skin of the tomatoes and then place them around the plate, and add the polenta diamonds in between. Decorate with a nice heart of sweet basil.
 
 
 Grapefruit and Champagne Rosé Sorbet
 
Serves 8 – 10
 
Ingredients:
8 1/2 cups pink grapefruit juice
8 1/2 cups of water
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
10 1/2 cups of Champagne Rosé
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 pink grapefruit
 
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, boil grapefruit juice with water, sugar, and simple syrup. Let cool, and then add Champagne to keep the bubbles; put the mix into the ice cream machine to freeze.
2. Segment and clean all pulp from the grapefruit.
3. Arrange the grapefruit segments in a frozen glass bowl and add a scoop of sorbet.
Optional: garnish with a touch of Champagne.
 
 
 Traditional Holiday Turkey
served with cranberry and macadamia nut stuffing, brussels sprouts in nutmeg butter,and sweet potato praline casserole
 
Serves 6 – 8
 
Turkey Ingredients:
1 whole turkey
1 tablespoon wildfire spice
3.7 ounces salted butter
2 tablespoons of tamari
Salt flakes
Cranberry and Macadamia Nut Stuffing Ingredients:
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup cranberry confit
3 ounces Macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons orange skin thinly sliced
2 eggs
 
Directions:
1. Start by making the stuffing by combining the breadcrumbs, cranberries, macadamia nuts, and orange zest in a bowl. Add eggs and mix until combined.
2. Preheat the oven to 180° F. Sprinkle the skin and cavity of the turkey with wildfire spice and salt flakes. Then stuff the cavity with the cranberry and macadamia nut stuffing. Truce the turkey with butchers twice and place breast side up on a rack in a large roasting tray. Add a little water to the roasting tray and roast for 45 minutes.
3. While the turkey begins to roast, make the turkey basting. Heat the butter in a medium sized saucepan, then add the beer and tamari. Begin basting the turkey every 15 minutes. After the first hour remove, baste, then cover with foil and return to the oven for a further 60 minutes or 90 minutes depending on the size. Continue to baste every 15 minutes.
4. To check when the turkey is cooked, use a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the turkey. Ideally the internal temperature should be 180° F. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest in a warm part of the kitchen for approx 20 minutes before carving.
 
 
 Red Velvet Cake
with Cream Cheese Frosting
Serves 6 – 8
 
Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon each baking soda, salt and vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoon (1 ounce) liquid red food color
2 teaspoon white vinegar
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
 
Frosting Ingredients:
2 8 ounce softened cream cheese
2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
Decoration (as desired): sweetened flaked coconut or chocolate
 
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350° F. Coat two 9 x 2-in or 8 x 2-in cake pans with baking spray (nonstick spray with flour).
2. For cake ingredients, place in large bowl. Mix butter, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla, and beat with mixer on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in eggs (1 at a time) until blended. Stir buttermilk, food color and vinegar in a 2-cup measure until well blended. Using a mixer, beat in flour, alternating with buttermilk mixture, until combined. Spread 3 cups batter in each prepared pan.
3. Bake approximately 30 minutes for 9-in layers, or approximately 40 minutes for 8-in layers, until cakes pull away from sides of pans (check by inserting a toothpick in center of cake(s) until it comes out clean). Then cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from pans.
4. For frosting, beat (on a medium speed) cream cheese and butter until creamy.
5. Place cake on serving plate and spread with 2 cups frosting.
Decorate as wished using flaked coconut or chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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